Customers these days no longer depend upon a single communication channel, i.e., phone calls to interact with a brand. Instead, they prefer seamless interactions across all popular channels like email, social media, live chat, text message, etc. Be it retail or healthcare customers, they want brands to meet their expectations by offering multiple communication channels. For this reason, HIPAA compliant BPO providers look for omnichannel contact centers while outsourcing patient care services.
According to recent statistics, 73% of customers switch between channels during a single conversation. In addition, 85% of customers expect brands to offer digital channels for communication. In fact, they look for other alternatives when they find their expectations are not met. Hence, the demand for omnichannel customer service in all industries. The healthcare industry is definitely not an exception.
What is an omnichannel customer support solution in healthcare?
Omnichannel customer support is a strategy popularly used by hospitals and clinics to communicate with customers. It is a synchronized communication model that delivers a sophisticated customer experience across various touch points. The specialty of this omnichannel practice is – customers do not have to share or repeat their basic details whenever they switch between channels in a single conversation.
For example, if a patient shares a problem over social media but finds it difficult to explain the issue properly, he may like to switch over to other communication channels. With an omnichannel customer support strategy, patients can immediately switch over to other channels and continue with the conversation. He or she doesn’t have to repeat their basic details or other information while connecting with agents over a phone call or other modes of communication.
Many modern HIPAA-compliant BPO agencies use advanced tools and result-driven strategies to turn the customer support process effective. Earlier it was quite challenging to manage customers across different channels. But with technological advancements and AI integration, agents find it effortless to provide seamless patient interactions. For this reason, top healthcare providers look for a reliable and certified contact center that uses innovative approaches to support patients online.
Why should healthcare providers prefer omnichannel customer service?
Experts say it is necessary to find a HIPAA-compliant BPO service provider for customer support outsourcing. But it is equally important to get in touch with an agency that prioritizes omnichannel strategy. Let’s find out why!
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Multiple channels of communication:
Patients connect with healthcare brands for multiple reasons. These can be for scheduling appointments, raising complaints, gaining knowledge, processing claims, settling invoices, etc. With omnichannel customer support, patients get a chance to communicate with healthcare providers across multiple channels and resolve their purpose.
The ubiquity of smartphones has made patients prefer phone calls, in-app messages, text messages, email, social media, live chat, and other various channels to interact with brand agents. This facilitates a smooth communication transition between channels, leading to high patient engagement.
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Smooth customer journey:
Integration is the primary aspect of omnichannel support. Its ability to centralize data smoothens the customer journey. As a result, customers get the chance to communicate seamlessly across versatile channels. They do not need to repeat their details for a single conversation. Whenever a customer switches between channels, be it a bot or a real assistant, they scroll through the chat history and provide a speedy resolution with minimal effort.
To offer a seamless customer journey, many modern HIPAA-compliant BPO agencies provide self-service opportunities that eliminate the need for virtual or human assistants. Studies have shown that 91% of customers use a knowledge base instead of phone calls to find answers to many common queries.
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Make data-driven decisions:
Modern contact centers use an omnichannel strategy to make data-driven decisions. Even healthcare BPO agencies prefer this practice for the same reason. This implies that the business decisions taken by the leaders of the organization are based on customer data collected from different sources.
Since agents get the scope to communicate with patients across different channels, they gain greater insights into patients’ preferences, demands, and priorities. Many BPO agencies even prefer to run survey programs to acquire data and get an in-depth outlook. These data collected from different channels help agents to make strategic decisions and optimize healthcare customer support processes accordingly.
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Wide range of audiences:
Every healthcare business wants to expand globally and set up a loyal customer base. An omnichannel strategy provides greater scope for this. With this multichannel approach, healthcare BPO agencies help businesses to get in touch with larger audiences appearing from different channels. Be it a phone call or social media, they have their talented agents and intelligent chatbots to address their issues and satisfy their needs.
While outsourcing patient care services to an omnichannel customer service provider, businesses get multiple opportunities to pacify patient requirements. This lowers the chance of losing out patients and simultaneously increases the level of engagement. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with concluding that healthcare businesses hiring omnichannel patient services get the scope to engage with multiple prospects and existing customers.
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Improve customer satisfaction:
Today, a majority of customers stay engaged with brands when they feel they are valued and respected. This happens when their problems are resolved quickly and effectively; they find convenient communication options and get 24X7 customer support assistance for multiple services. With omnichannel support, one of their expectations easily gets fulfilled.
Omnichannel customer support agents allow patients to choose any preferred channel to communicate. The specialty of this channel is whenever a patient shares an issue or puts a query, real or virtual agents are ready to serve with the right answer. Not just patient helpdesk, these channels are equally utilized for scheduling appointments, raising claims, and verifying insurance. Since healthcare agents pay equal attention to all channels, they acquire high customer satisfaction and greater retention rates.
The Bottom Line
Gen Z customers spend most of their time browsing online. Social media and in-app chats are their primary attempts whenever they like to connect with any brand. Whether it is to leave feedback, ask a query, or raise an issue, they prefer modernized brands. Their level of satisfaction reaches greater heights when brands meet their expectations. And the only way to win over their hearts is by introducing an omnichannel customer support strategy.
So, omnichannel customer support service is beneficial for every business that wants to build a loyal customer base and attain higher satisfaction. Its ability to engage prospects has encouraged many multispecialty hospitals to think about these multichannel BPO service providers. Therefore, if you are willing to satisfy your patients with your outstanding service, make sure you look for this particular feature in your HIPAA-compliant BPO agency.
Some other considerations you require before getting in touch with a third-party agency are –
- Multilingual support allows patients to communicate with agents in their native languages.
- AI-powered chatbots that help patients find answers to their queries or issues effectively.
- Self-service opportunities that assist healthcare customers in getting solutions to their problems without seeking the help of real or virtual assistants.
- Talented professionals who can address patients’ pain points and take care of their expectations.
- Years of experience to ensure that the BPO agency is specialized in handling healthcare customers and has a good track record for delivering better CX.
When outsourcing patient care services, keeping note of these points is very important. These considerations help find a BPO company that fits your business requirements.
